Local fans miss out on Kindle

I like to think that I’m not overly sensitive but sometimes it’s hard not to feel a little unloved.

When it comes to the release of new technology toys, there’s usually very little to get upset about in Australia. Thanks to its global release schedule, the most recent version of Apple’s iPad was on sale in Australia hours before it could be bought in the United States.

Samsung and other industry leaders are also quick to bring their latest devices here, realising that (although it is a small market) there’s plenty of disposable income, coupled with a real appetite for the latest phones, tablets and other gadgets.

Kindle’s latest e-reader. If you already have one, there’s not much point in upgrading.

Internet retailer Amazon is the one obvious exception to this rule. Its Kindle Fire has emerged as the first real challenger to Apple’s iPad in the US tablet market, capturing 22 per cent of sales during the nine months that it has been on sale.

When it took the wrappers off two new models at an eagerly anticipated launch event in California last week, it also made them available outside the US. Unfortunately for Australian gadget lovers, those export plans are restricted to France, Germany, Italy Spain and the UK. An Amazon spokeswoman told The Australian Financial Review that it has no plans to bring them here yet.

It’s understood that this is partly because the devices are so heavily reliant on content to make them an attractive proposition and Amazon has yet to strike local deals. Still, it is frustrating not to have access to what looks like one of the best gadgets around. If the Fire is as successful in Europe as it has been in the US, Amazon will have more motivation to enter more markets.

Kobo’s Glo is the first example of a front-lit e-reader available in Australia, which means you can read in the dark without annoying whoever shares your bed. It is expected to go on sale in October and costs $159.99.

The only news with any local relevance at Amazon’s launch event was an updated version of its Kindle e-reader. While it might be an Apple challenger in the tablet market, it is the undisputed daddy of this category.

The new Kindle is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, with a new version of the e-ink that makes it so much better than a tablet when it comes to reading in direct sunlight.

Yet even here there was more local disappointment, as a new front-lit version, known as the Kindle Paperwhite, won’t be available in Australia. Its absence from local shelves is a little harder to understand but may be down to the limited number of devices Amazon is producing at this stage.

Still, if it’s a front-lit e-reader that you’ve set your heart on then Canadian gadget maker Kobo will happily sell you one. Known as the Kobo Glo, it is the first device of its type available in Australia. Its main selling point is that you can read from Kobo’s library of almost three million titles at any time of day or night without having to buy an external light.

Sony’s PRS-T2 is available in red, white or black and costs $179.

Kobo’s Glo was one of three new gadgets the company launched last week. There was also a seven-inch tablet that it hopes will rival Kindle’s Fire and Google’s Nexus 7. For that to happen it will need to be a major improvement on its predecessor, the Kobo Vox, which was launched late last year but failed to win many fans.

Sony also updated its line-up of e-readers at the end of August but unfortunately its Reader store has still not made it to Australia. This is a pain because it means the device must be connected to a computer whenever you want to load new content onto it.